French word

graduellement

Pronunciation

IPA/gʁadɥɛləmɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adverbgradually

Example

Il devient graduellement plus fort.

He is gradually getting stronger.

Illustration for graduellement (gradually)

More examples

Elle prend graduellement confiance devant son public.

She gradually gains confidence in front of her audience.

Core concept

A change moving along a staircase one small step at a time.

Common phrases

  • prendre graduellement confiance

    gradually gain confidence

  • s'adapter graduellement à

    gradually adapt to

Similar words

peu à peu: Advancing or changing little by little over time.
petit à petit: Changing through a series of very small steps.
au fur et à mesure: Changing in stages as a process or period of time progresses.
progressivement: Changing progressively through successive stages.

Definition in French

De manière progressive et continue, par étapes successives dans le temps.

Word origin

Graduellement is formed from French graduel with the adverbial suffix -ment; graduel comes from Latin gradualis, related to gradus, 'step' or 'stage'.

Usage tips

  • Graduellement is more common in formal or written French, while everyday speech often uses peu à peu or petit à petit.

Opposites

Related words

  • graduelgradualadjective

Word lists with this word